As a new Shiba puppy owner...I am always trying to think of ways to keep Bo entertained as he seems to play with one toy for say 5-10 minutes...then on to something else...and sometimes that something else is ME playing with him (which I do a lot). However, we all know that you cannot possibly be with your pup 100% of the time as you do have a life too. So...when my wife and I were playing table tennis...we noticed how interested Bo was in the ping pong ball when it hit the floor. The sound and the movement really excited him.

Now a table tennis ball is a little small and I worry about him trying to swallow one and choke so we don't really let him play with them. However, I have another toy...many of you probably have...that red, rubber collapsible ball with holes in it about 1/2 inch wide.

I took two table tennis balls and worked them through these holes (took a little doing as the balls are larger than the holes) and into the center of the ball. When shaken or rolled around the balls bounce together...that same sound that excited Bo in the first place...plus the movement of the balls inside the red ball drives him crazy.

Man did he love this toy...plays with it longer than any toy I have purchased. AND he cannot get the table tennis balls out as they are much to large to fit back through the holes without some heavy duty pushing. However, just because of the size of them I don't really let Bo play with it without our direct supervision just in case. Below is the picture of that semi-homemade toy in case anyone wants to try:

That looks good. Sometimes the best ones are the hone made one. The best toy as far as my boy is concerned is a cardboard box. He'll just shred it until it's in tiny pieces! Even better if there's a treat inside or I smear a bit of peanut butter in it. It's a bit messy and noisy though!

No, he just rips it into tiny pieces and spits out for me to collect lol. Any card is good, even a loo roll will entertain him for a while. The best is a big cereal box or something. He loves stepping on it and ripping it. He will just lick the peanut butter off, won't even eat the cardboard that's been on. It's messy, but free!

This might be true with Bo too as he gets older...being only 3 months tomorrow...he is not yet destroying this toy. But...it just might happen sooner rather than later...thus...I keep an eye on him with this toy. Don't want him with ping pong balls unsupervised. To worried he might choke on one.

@Kira_Kira, ditto! Kouda will destroy any toy he can fit in his mouth... And then eat it!

He also likes to shred paper and cardboard, and he does eat some once the pieces are small. I worried in the beginning, but paper is much more edible than plastic and rubber, so it's still a better alternative.

Ah yes, toilet paper rolls + cardboard are a favorite around here too. Rigby will flatten the tp rolls down and throw them around in the air and catch them. He eats some of the tiny pieces, and leaves the rest for me to clean up. He also steals cardboard boxes, whether they are empty or not, and shreds them up. Makes recycling easier I guess? :P

@BanjoTheBetaDog He just rips bits off and as it gets smaller and smaller he just shakes his head and tiny bits fly out. I know he doesn't swallow any (I supervise him with this) as there's so much to clear up afterwards! I don't know exactly when I first gave him cardboard; but he didn't eat it the first time we gave it, just looked like he was having fun! (And burning some puppy energy!) Just chuck some card with your dog, if he begins to eat it, take it away. If not, supervise until destruction is complete, if he still hasn't eaten any then you can probably assume he won't. We're very lucky in that so far, the only things that Oki has ever damaged are his own things, and it's mostly just wear and tear really. Oh, I tell a lie, he has scratched a tiny bit of the carpet off the base of the cat tree but that's all.

I find stuff like cereal boxes best as they make less mess than corrugated card. One of his favourites was a big cardboard tube that a bottle of whiskey we got for christmas came in! It doubled as a musical instrument we seranaded him with, much to his excitement!

Yea, no loo paper on it! Just the core. Man, I can't even imagine the mess one with paper would create lol. You know what really blows their minds? If you stuff a roll within a roll! Especially if you smear some peanut butter or other pastey substance on the inside roll. I've put a small box with a treat within a larger box before hoping to give him a brain work out but he could just bulldoze through several layers of card lol.

I just tried this today and so far so good. Has the same distraction value as a bully stick only less calories....

I took an old sock (one I lost the match for), tied it in knots, soaked it in water and froze it. Banjo chews and chews and chews and since he is teething seems to like the cooling effect on his gums. Caution, if he tries to shred the sock, you may want to take it away. Banjo just likes dismembering the sock and doesn't eat the thread. Yours may act different.

BanjoTheBetaDog...have been doing that exact same thing with an old athletic sock of ours. Bo must be a softer chewer as he hasn't torn the sock up at all...nor that red ball/ping pong ball toy I made above...sure shakes it pretty aggressively though...like it's alive. The frozen sock only lasts about 5 minutes with Bo...then on to something else.

Ooh some good ideas here! I've gotta try the toilet paper roll and socks! Tali loves socks, just socks normally. Actually she has a weird foot fetish, always licking and sniffing our toes and when I'm putting on my socks in the morning, I feel like she's trying to pull the sock away as I'm trying to put it on because she wants it haha. Usually when I have a mismatched sock in the laundry, I'll throw it to her to chew on for a while - I don't get her fascination but if it keeps her entertained for a few, then heck, have all the soooocks!

I wouldn't try the cardboard box though - I feel like that would encourage Tali to find any box and think it's a toy. She destroys every toy as well so I have to get super strong ones.

Yea...Bo is starting to grunt too when driving his nose in the corner of his bed in our kitchen. Sounds like a pig...LOL

Hey...I have noticed that Bo LOVES hard plastic caps off of say a large Iced Tea bottle or vitamin bottle. They are way to big to swallow, some bendable and all unbreakable. My question is if any of you have tried this? Is there any concerns if he is closely supervised and never left alone with something like this? Don't want to give him something that could cause a problem.

For example...my vet is against use of any of the nylabone stuff...all of it. Puppy, regular, doesn't matter. Concern over piece breaking off and causing blockage. Thus...my questions.

@KirkMango today I found something new to put in the Hol-EE Roller Dog Toy...A cutie :). You have to stretch it a bit to get it in there but my Si is going crazy with it! It's working great so far! Bonus it's a healthy treat :)

One of the best toys we had was an old dressing gown belt/cord. It was like a durable cat tease. Great for indoor exercising, the length allowed for lots of chasing! Such a shame we lost it...he loved that thing so much. Incidentally, he never attacked the dressing gown it was from.

@kagurarap I smiled to myself about you prefering not to give a box to your dog (totally understand why! Luckily for stuff like that he responds well to the off command if it's a box I don't want him to have - also we usually give it to him in the play pen so he knows it's fair game. It inevitably ends up dragged out all over the house though lol) as that's the exact reason I wouldn't give a sock to mine lol. :)

kagurarap...Hey...Bo does that too with the feet...loves feet. Sniffing, licking, and any sock on the floor...if he is around...IT'S GONE!!! We have to watch anything that is put on the floor...no matter how small...Bo will find it and it will inevitably end up in his mouth.

I tied a tea towel in a knot, soaked it in water and froze it. Oki chewed it for about 10 minutes the first time I gave it to him, and about 2 minutes the other 2 times I've presented it to him. So, this is not a resounding success. I will cut up the towel into smaller pieces and try again, maybe flavour the water I soak it in? Though I don't want to encourage him to eat the towel!

We found Oki's favourite toy that has been lost for a while! A dressing gown belt. It's long, soft, flat and durable, like a tough cat teaser. This is something requiring interaction but is great fun for a game of chase and tug etc. He loves chasing it so much, great way to wear him out if he's being mischievious indoors. However, he loses interest in it immediately if there isn't a person on the other end of it!

It's not really homemade, but I already have them for the cats. Two things that Rooney's decided he likes are peacock feathers and the cat's 'Da Bird' toy. Maybe it's from watching the cats freak out trying to catch them, but he thinks they're the best thing ever. The peacock feathers at least are pretty cheap too.